Forum news: Jose Saramago isn't going to show. Bummer.

Yesterday they got about 4000 people, most of them students on class trips and old folks bussed in by the Inserso, the government department that provides activities for citizens "of the third age". The fact that it rained again didn't help anything. Also, the Orquesta Baobab was only there one day, so that's that; I'll keep an eye out for them if they ever play the Jamboree or the Bikini.

They had the first "dialogue" with former Prime Minister Felipe González; admission to the "dialogues", (depending on who you're "dialoguing" with; Mikhail Gorbachov is to be here) will cost up to 300 euros, was not encouraging. Seems that they built this enormous convention hall, which, says one of the Vanguardia's writers, is reminiscent of one of those enormous People's Republic halls guys like Ceaucescu built or, perhaps, something Albert Speerish. It seats a couple of thousand people, the ceiling is painted black, and the seats are navy blue. Well, they had to paper the house; the Vangua notes that a lot of the attendees were civil servants of a certain rank, and wonders whether they paid the full admission price. Even then they didn't get the place half full.

And there was nothing resembling a dialogue; supposedly, in the first row, some regular people were supposed to sit there and ask the honored guest questions; this didn't happen with Felipe. Instead, the thing droned on for four hours and a guy up on the stage nodded off to sleep, where he was caught on camera.

A Vanguardia instant poll thingie said that 92% of Barcelonese consider admission to the Forum to be too expensive. Also, there's been a to-do about people bringing in their own food and drinks. Employees of the Forum are allowed to, and schoolchildren are allowed to, but everyone else has to pay the astronomical prices within the perimeter. Now, there's nothing more Catalan than showing up somewhere with the whole family and a big bag full of sobrasada, fuet, and tortilla sandwiches, always wrapped in aluminum foil; being Catalan, you're thrifty and are opposed to paying twelve bucks for the kiddie menu. Strongly opposed.